In recent years, there has been a great deal of effort devoted to the management of household, commercial, and marine wastewater effluent. In many situations, in the past, households have used septic tanks with conventional drainfields for the treatment and disposal of wastewater. Similarly, in relatively remote areas, it is common for businesses to utilize such septic tanks for the disposal of wastewater. After the wastewater has been accumulated in a septic tank, it is commonly removed by tank trucks passing periodically through the area.
Fortunately, the era of the septic tank drainfield system being used indiscriminantly is slowly disappearing. Presently, there are several household and commercial wastewater treatment systems that are presently on the market. These systems are designed to serve homes and small commercial establishments outside the reach of a city sewer. These systems utilize a similar treatment process as used by most large central treatment plants. One such system is identified as a HYDRO-FLO (TM) wastewater treatment system. This HYDRO-FLO (TM) system is a self-contained, automatic system. This system essentially aerates the raw wastewater and mixes the wastewater with activated sludge. Aerobic bacteria use the oxygen, from the aeration process, to break down the wastewater so as to convert it into odorless liquids and gases. This HYDRO-FLO (TM) system is presently sold by Hydro-Flo wastewater Treatment Systems, Inc. of Kountze, Tex.
In many circumstances, the discharge from such household wastewater treatment systems is suitable for disposal into underground drainfields or for surface disposal. Unfortunately, in a wide variety of other situations, the discharge of such household wastewater treatment systems is considered unsatisfactory for irrigation purposes and, in particular, for drip irrigation systems. Ideally, it is desirable to reuse the household wastewater on the lawn or landscape. Drip irrigation has been found to be a particularly effective manner in which to irrigate.
The main reason why the household wastewater treatment systems are inadequate for irrigation purposes is the fact that periodically the effluent contains relatively large biological particles therein. Efforts have been made, in the past, so as to filter the effluent discharge from these household wastewater treatment systems. Under limited circumstances, conventional screen and/or disk filter arrangements can effectively remove the large particles from the effluent discharge. The large particles must be removed so as to prevent clogging of the drip irrigation lines and to prevent clogging of the orifices of spray irrigation systems.
It has been found that these conventional filter arrangements have proven inadequate in continuous usage. In virtually all circumstances, these screen and disk filters will be quickly and easily clogged with the biological effluent discharge material. As soon as these filters are clogged, the entire wastewater treatment system, and discharge system, are rendered inoperable. Under certain circumstances, backflushing techniques have been employed in an effort to avoid the clogging of the filters. Unfortunately, disk and screen type filters have not responded well to backflushing. If the household wastewater treatment system is used for home irrigation purposes, then the effluent in a large number of cases must be filtered. Under conventional applications, these filters have required replacement, repair, and continual attention so as to enable the system to function properly. None of the prior applications, in the past, have found practicality as a continuous system for the irrigating of land.
In many remote locations, it is very difficult to obtain enough water for the continual operation of toilets and/or commodes. Under certain circumstances, treated effluent can be recycled for use in the storage tank of a toilet. Since the water stored in the storage tank of a toilet is not consumed, then the treated effluent is particularly suitable for use in the storage tank. Unfortunately, with regard to small wastewater flows, efforts in the past have not been directed so as to utilize the treated effluent in the storage tank of a toilet.
In many areas it will be desirable to use the wastewater effluent management system to protect the environment when using direct discharge or the drainfield as the effluent disposal method.
In the past, a large variety of water filters have been patented. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 616,031, issued on Dec. 13, 1898 describes a siphon carbon faucet filter. This filter is interconnected to a faucet for the purpose of removing particles from the water of the faucet. An activated charcoal material is maintained within a compartment in fluid communication with the outlet of the faucet. As the water passes through the carbon filter, the particles and impurities are effectively removed from the water.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,979,197, issued on Oct. 30, 1934 to A. Harf discloses a filter which includes a tank filled with a charcoal material. The tank has an inlet, for receiving water, and an outlet for passing filtered water therefrom. The tank is divided into compartments for the accumulation of the water.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,326,374, issued on Dec. 30, 1919 teaches a water filter that has a layered arrangement of sand, gravel, charcoal and furnace slag. Water is delivered to this layered arrangement of filter materials from an inlet. The filtered water will then pass outwardly of a tank from an outlet at the bottom of the tank.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,742,156, issued on Apr. 17, 1956, to E. G. Spangler teaches a liquid purifying separator having a hollow fluid passing shell, a filter chamber contained within and spaced from a side wall of the shell, and a means for passing fluid downwardly through the chamber to pass out a lower portion of the chamber. A mass of filter material is located within the inner chamber for separating entrainment from the fluid to fall downwardly from the chamber toward a bottom shell outlet. In particular, this mass of filter material includes wood shavings.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,997,178, issued on Aug. 22, 1961, to W. Lorimer provides a water filter that has a supporting head disposed to be tapped into the pipe carrying the water to be filtered. A primary screen filter removes any relatively coarse particles from the water. A means is provided for supporting a bed of loose filtering material. A distribution system is provided so as to cause the water to be passed over the bed and to cause it to pass in forward and return directions through the filtering body before being released for consumption.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,126,335, issued on Mar. 24, 1964, to W. E. Stipe provides a water softener which is a tubular member having an inlet at one end and an outlet at an opposite end. The pipe is provided with a bed of gravel and the remainder is filled with a filler of granular zeolite or resin beads, charged with sodium ions. As raw water flows downwardly through the filter in the pipe, there occurs an ion exchange between the calcium in the water and the sodium-charged filler.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,710,944, issued on Jan. 16, 1973, to H. E. Budeshein describes a water filter for filtering water contained suspended mechanical impurities and also chemical impurities. This filter first passes the water through a mechanical filter, which traps the mechanical impurities, and then passes the water through a chemical filter, which removes the chemical impurities. The device includes a generally cylindrical housing in which is mounted a sleeve of a rigid water pervious filter medium. One end of the housing opens into one end of the filter. A container containing a chemical agent capable of removing the chemical impurities is in communication with the interior of the housing.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,116,502, issued on May 26, 1992, to G. E. Ferguson describes a horizontal countertop water filter. This water filter has a horizontal housing defining a fluid inlet channel and a fluid filtration chamber. The water filter is fitted with a diverter valve and a fluid conduit which conducts diverted fluid from the sink faucet into the water filter.
Soviet Patent No. 1584-984-A teaches a water filtering unit which has a floating charge made of granules of lower density than water. A water supply pipe is placed tangentially to the body outer surface. The water is supplied under pressure to the body which is prefilled with water. The water passes through a pipe and is swirled in the body's cylindrical part. Due to the centrifugal force, the suspension is separated and is concentrated in the sediment in the body's conical part.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an effluent management system that effectively filters effluent for use as irrigation water.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an effluent management system that allows household and commercial wastewater to be used in drip irrigation systems.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an effluent management system that allows filtered disinfected water to be used in conjunction with a household commode.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an effluent management system that effectively filters and disinfects wastewater effluent to protect the environment when using direct discharge or conventional drainfield to dispose of the effluent.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an effluent management system that effectively circulates effluent.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a filter that can be effectively backflushed during continual operations.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a filter that effectively removes particles of greater than one hundred microns.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide an effluent management system that can be connected to a pretreatment facility.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an effluent management system that is easy to use, easy to maintain, relatively inexpensive, and easily monitored.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a reading of the attached specification and appended claims.